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I am so
excited that A COLD LEGACY by Megan
Shepherd releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an excerpt
from the book!

If you
haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Megan Shepherd, be sure
to check out all the details below.

This blast
also includes a giveaway for a signed copy of the book and swag courtesy of Megan
and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the
Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

After
killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with
Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote
estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the
mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the
basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s
secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be
present within the manor’s own walls.

Then Juliet
uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific
experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where
the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and
promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark
footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

With
inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the
Madman’s Daughter trilogy is about the things we’ll sacrifice to save those we
love—even our own humanity.

Title: Playlist for the DeadAuthor: Michelle FalkoffPublishing Date: January 27th, 2015Publisher: HarperTeenFormat: ARCRating: 1/5 starSummary:A teenage boy tries to understand his best friend's suicide by listening to the playlist of songs he left behind in this smart, voice-driven debut novel.

Here's what Sam knows: There was a party. There was a fight. The next morning, his best friend, Hayden, was dead. And all he left Sam was a playlist of songs, and a suicide note: For Sam—listen and you'll understand.

As he listens to song after song, Sam tries to face up to what happened the night Hayden killed himself. But it's only by taking out his earbuds and opening his eyes to the people around him that he will finally be able to piece together his best friend’s story. And maybe have a chance to change his own.

Part mystery, part love story, and part coming-of-age tale in the vein of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp’s The Spectacular Now, Playlist for the Dead is an honest and gut-wrenching first novel about loss, rage, what it feels like to outgrow a friendship that's always defined you—and the struggle to redefine yourself. But above all, it's about finding hope when hope seems like the hardest thing to find.

This book compares itself to Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Tim Tharp's The Spectacular Now. These are really big claims, and I was at first skeptical, naturally, but in the end I decided to give this a try. While I did not exactly like The Spectacular Now all that much, I did adore Perks a lot, and so I had great expectations for this book. Sadly, it was so different from what I expected and I'm really really disappointed with how this book turned out.

It's sad because there isn't really anything in particular that I would want to point out or rant about with this book. I just felt so unattached to it, and the whole time I was reading this I just had this meh look on my face, like I totally did not care for the characters or the story at all. This book could have had really great potential but it so lacks the emotional depth that I was looking for. For a story that tackles themes of death, suicide and love, it really fell short for me.

Hey guys! It's January 24th and that means it's National Readathon Day! I hope you guys have made time to read on this special day. Today we will be talking about the books we pledge to read.

One of our favorite reading spots is in bed, because it's so comfortable and we tend to spend most of our reading time before bedtime! A great mattress company, Casper, ships really comfortable mattresses straight to your door in the box the size of a mini fridge! We haven't tried out the mattress yet, but it sure looks comfortable! You can check out this company here, or by clicking the picture.

So without further ado, these are the books that have made our reading list for today!

What's In Your Heart by Ines Bautista-Yao

One Crazy Summer by Ines Bautista-Yao

This arrived in my mail yesterday! Thank you so much to Ines Bautista-Yao for sending these to me for review! I can't wait to read both of these books today. I was actually planning to read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for National Readathon Day, but I got excited and read it in advance. (HEHE, can't blame me) If I finish these books and have more time, I'll probably start on my ARCs for April and May.

Pair skaters Courtney and Mark have one shot left at their Olympic dream. They
vow not to let anything get in their way, especially not Josh and Stephanie,
the wealthy and talented brother and sister team.

The heart doesn’t always listen to reason, though...

The more time Courtney spends with sweet, shy Josh, the harder she falls for
him. But they are on opposite sides of the competition, and their futures are
headed in opposite directions. Will their friendship blossom into more or are
their paths too different to cross?

We decided to add this little recap of our week for you guys every Friday! Basically, we tell you about the important events in our lives this week, the blog posts and reviews we made, and any other thing that we deem significant. The goal of this is to let you know more about us and to let readers who have missed something from our blog be able to find it easily through links that we will be placing here. Enjoy!

An edgy fairy tale retelling of "Snow White" set in the world of Kill Me Softly for fans of Once Upon a Time and Grimm.

Faced with a possible loophole to her "Snow White" curse, Viv goes underground, literally, to find the prince who's fated to rescue her. But is life safe in the Underworld worth the price of sacrificing the love that might kill her?

I don't know what to feel. I'm sad, I'm confused, I'm happy. This book was one gigantic mess of emotions for me, most of them conflicting. I don't know if I feel happy about who Vivian chooses to have a happy ending with. I'm not sure if I feel sad about the stepmother's fate. I don't know if Viv deserves to be happy. I don't know anything. It's absolutely frustrating, and I don't even know if I like that it's frustrating. For the first time in a long time, a book has left me so confused and conflicted that I don't even know if I liked it.

Let me take you through what happened to me while reading Tear You Apart. At first, I didn't like it. In fact, I nearly DNFed it. This story is an acquired taste. This world is not something that you just jump into. The mix of modern life with fairy tales is not something that is instantly likable. I'd compare it to beer (not that I drink beer) as the taste is not something you'll like at first, but the longer you drink it, the more you like it.

When I got to the part where Viv goes to a magical nightclub in the underworld, I started to get really interested. In fact, by the second time she goes back, I was hooked on the story. Jasper, the Prince Charming who invites her, is portrayed as the smooth-talking, not-a-necrophiliac, cool guy that you would definitely expect Viv to love. But then all my excitement dissipated once I got to know Jasper more because he becomes a selfish, happy-ending-obsessed douche. Sorry for the term.

Title: Only A KissAuthor: Ines Bautista-YaoPublishing Date: November 29th, 2014Publisher: Chamber Shell PublishingFormat: KindleRating: 3/5 starsSummary:When she was nine-years-old, Katie knew she wanted Chris to give her her first kiss. It wasn’t because she was in love with him (no way, he was her best friend! Besides, she was in love with his fourteen-year-old big brother), it was because she could make him do anything she wanted. Besides, it didn't really mean anything. It was only a kiss after all. But then things started to change. They grew up. They parted ways and went to different high schools. And other girls and boys—well, just one particular boy—came into the picture, throwing their lives upside down. Told from the alternating points of view of Katie and Chris, this love story between two best friends will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking how the simplest things can mean so much.

Ines Bautista-Yao is the author of One Crazy Summer, What’s in your Heart, and Only a Kiss. She has also written two short stories, “Flashbacks and Echoes,” which is part of a compilation called All This Wanting and “A Captured Dream,” one of the four short stories in Sola Musica: Love Notes from a Festival.

She is the former editor-in-chief of Candy and K-Zone magazines and a former high school and college English and Literature teacher. She is also a wife and mom and blogs about the many challenges and joys of motherhood at theeverydayprojectblog.com. She has recently launched The Author Project, a section in her current blog devoted to the stories in her head: http://theeverydayprojectblog.com/inesbyao-author-project/

Summary via Goodreads:Seventeen-year-old Charlotte barely escaped from her abusive parents. Her little brother, Sam, wasn't as lucky. Now she's trying to begin the new life she always dreamed of for them, but never thought she'd have to experience alone. She's hired a techie-genius with a knack for forgery to remove the last ties to her old life. But while she can erase her former identity, she can’t rid herself of the memories. And her troubled history won’t let her ignore the little girl she sees one day in the park. The girl with the bruises and burn marks.That’s when Charlotte begins to receive the messages. Threatening notes left in her apartment--without a trace of entry. And they’re addressed to Piper, her old name. As the messages grow in frequency, she doesn’t just need to uncover who is leaving them; she needs to stop whoever it is before anyone else she loves ends up dead.

I really don't know what to say. The plot first focused on Piper, the main character who wanted a new future. It focused on fixing her life, and more on the psychological aspects. But, towards the end, I knew that Cut Me Free is more of a thriller than a sociological book, and I don't know if I liked it that way. Honestly, it gave me chills. I hate blood, and there are so many disturbing happenings in this book.

Until now, I am still not sure if I liked this book or not.

First, the writing style. Johansson's writing style was vivid and articulate. It contains flashbacks on what happened to Piper before. Although, there was one part that I didn't quite understand. I was a bit confused on how the "enemy/villain" was able to get into the house, I'm not sure if t's just me or it's the writing style.

For the characters, I didn't like any of them that much. I didn't have the connection which is why I took one star away. I felt like Charlotte's emotional state and her way of adapting to the outside world was pretty good despite the fact the she was stuck inside an attic for years. She may be strong, and stuff, but it's just not believable. Cam was a good guy, but I think he fell for Charlotte too fast. The other characters seemed like they were just two-dimensional caricatures. They didn't feel like real people to me.

Title: All The Bright PlacesAuthor: Jennifer NivenPublishing Date: January 6th, 2015Publisher: KnopfFormat: PaperbackRating: 5/5 starsSummary:The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this exhilarating and heart-wrenching love story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.Soon to be a major motion picture starring Elle Fanning!Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

Where do I even begin to describe how beautiful this book is?

I think I just found the best book of 2015 even if it's just January. It's funny because every time I read a really really good book, I am surprised at how speechless I get; whereas if it's a bad one, I always know what stuff I didn't like and I tend to point those out in my reviews. But what to say when I'm blown away with such a gripping and emotional read that made me cry for 2 hours?

Because I am NOT okay, and I don't know when I will be okay, or if I ever will be okay. And every time I see this book, let alone think about it, I tend to have the reaction of throwing stuff and bursting into ugly tears and just kicking people from sheer sadness and anger - so don't you dare mention this book to me in person if you don't want to be turned into a punching bag or a crying shoulder.

The blurb of this book tells us that it is for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell. These are really heavy claims, and I wasn't too sure since most contemporaries always tell us that it's "for fans of John Green" even if they are NOTHING alike, save for the genre. But man, does this book deliver. I don't want to sound like I'm a PR or Marketing agent, but yes, this is for fans of John Green and Rainbow Rowell, and you better read it, because oh my God, nothing will compare, and nothing I say will be enough to tell you how beautiful and lovely this is.

All the Bright Places is not just a fictional story about two teenagers who struggle with their brokenness and their constant efforts to hold on with life. It rings with honesty and rawness, and what we read about in this book are things that real people struggle with everyday. There's depression and mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, and these are struggles that we see with our eyes in everyday scenarios. No matter how fictional this story may be, it is real to me, and it should be to anyone. This book is not about how two people fall in love and suddenly just save each other from their problems. This tells us that it's not easy, and everyday is a hard struggle to stay in the Awake, and that it's so easy to slip off into the unknown and just turn everything off. This book shows us that there are good days, but that there are bad ones too, and yet we can keep fighting everyday so we can get more good ones. This tells us that you can hold on to each other as much as you want, but sometimes it's not enough, it's not that easy to fix, and one day it will just eat you alive until you succumb to it and you finally make the leap.

Depression is not just a quick fix like a band-aid; it should be a constant process of healing and getting yourself together. It's not your fault if things aren't enough, it's not your fault if you can't control it, because somehow it becomes a part of you. And it's okay to ask for help, it's okay to admit you can't do it anymore, because depression is a scary thing and it burns inside you until you just can't take it anymore. It's not just about feeling sad or down sometimes or wanting to kill yourself; it's about struggling to stay alive, and fighting for your life, and looking for good reasons to live.

There's a huge social stigma that mental illness is just a choice, and people want to suffer and that it's just a form of weakness or they are trying to get attention. But no matter what others think, these issues are real. And it's exactly because of these social stigmas that make people with these conditions not want to seek support or help. And that should change.

All The Bright Places is one of the best portrayals of mental illness and suicide. It's so hauntingly emotional and real, and I think this is one way to get people to understand and accept these issues. It's incredibly gut wrenching and touching to read, and this book complete broke me. This book demands to be read and I can't stress how much this book deserves every bit of acclaim and praise, even if all of them will never be enough.

All The Bright Places gave me a subtle reminder of why I even started reading - and it's because there's just something about these books that invoke feelings into me. And this one, is a keeper.

Title: The OpportunistAuthor: Tarryn FisherPublishing Date: November 14th, 2011Rating: 2/5 starsSummary:Olivia Kaspen has just discovered that her ex-boyfriend, Caleb Drake, has lost his memory. With an already lousy reputation for taking advantage of situations, Olivia must decide how far she is willing to go to get Caleb back. Wrestling to keep her true identity and their sordid past under wraps, Olivia’s greatest obstacle is Caleb’s wicked, new girlfriend; Leah Smith. It is a race to the finish as these two vipers engage in a vicious tug of war to possess a man who no longer remembers them. But, soon enough Olivia must face the consequences of her lies, and in the process discover that sometimes love falls short of redemption.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FUCKING IDEA HOW MUCH THIS BOOK DESTROYED ME?!?!?!I don't even know how to properly rate this but at this point I'm torn between crying my head off and destroying everything I see within a 5-mile radius.

I do NOT recommend you to read this book. It made me feel ugly, bad and sick. Do not read it unless you are an incredible masochist and would like to feel the pain.

Moving on to something much more proper and coherent, I cannot say that I like this book, because I DIDN'T. It held my interest long enough for me to finish it, but I found the story super unrealistic and also very very frustrating. The main character is a big bitch - and I am serious; she's manipulative, evil and hurts people to get what she wants, because apparently she has daddy and mommy issues (which aren't really an excuse to act that way to be honest). I wasn't sure if I hated her for it but there were many many instances when I wanted to scream and knock some sense into her. She is something though, and I agree with Noah in the end when he says that she does leave a big impression on people.

The love interest Caleb is confusing, not because he's a jock who also likes reading and has this somehow split persona, but because man, this guy is just as messed up as our MC. <SPOILER; highlight to read>

I cannot comprehend how he could think that it is okay to cheat on your girlfriend just because she is not ready to tell you she loves you or have sex with you, and then walk in on her after, cheating too, because she got hurt from what you did, and then walk away thinking she was the one who did everything wrong and hurt all your feelings? NO, NO, NO!!! You are BOTH wrong and stupid and crazy and messed up, and you ALSO hurt her feelings! And pretending you have amnesia like you don't know your ex-girlfriend, (who you are, by the way, still in love with) and going to all sorts of places to stalk her 3 years later, and allowing her back into your life and messing with her feelings and her whole entire life is JUST FUCKING MESSED UP. PEOPLE DO NOT DO THAT!!!! I'm not saying Olivia isn't to be blamed but Caleb is the one who actually started it all with his lying and pretending about amnesia thing, which by the way is the stupidest thing ever, because it's impossible for him to not recognize her AT ALL with all the time he spent with her that time. YOU EVEN WENT CAMPING IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ALREADY HAD CAMPING BEFORE! And when Olivia this time really leaves him, like for real, he continues stalking her and even coercing her to be the lawyer for his wife's case, even if said wife is ALSO crazy and very guilty of what she is accused of. WHY IS EVERYONE IN THIS BOOK CRAZY?

The only character I did like was Cammie, because she felt so genuine to me, and so cute, like a little sister I wish I had. It was also nice to meet Noah in the end because he is very mature compared to all these characters, who are supposedly adults, but hey, we all do crazy things for love, don't we?

I don't want to reveal anything more about the story except that it hurt my feelings a lot. I felt bad after reading it and immediately regretted that I even picked up this book. I guess I'm not the type of person who can stomach in something this ugly. The ending is bittersweet, and I found it to be quite realistic, but thought it made everything that happened useless.

I took away 2 stars because there are some scenes that felt rapey for me and I really felt uncomfortable with one specific scene (which I shall not divulge because I do NOT want to talk about it). I don't want to go into specifics when it comes to this because like I said, it makes me feel really tense to even remember it. But I have to say that I will take at least 1-2 stars just for anything in a book that bothers me in that way. Then I took away 1 star because I didn't like this book for all the reasons listed above. The remaining 2 stars I left because the writing is pretty good, the plot well developed, and there's much emotional depth into the story even if it did drive me crazy. The flashback scenes are cute and I wish I could've had a book that told a story about teenage love instead. I still don't recommend this to anyone, unless you are a sucker for NA romance that will kill you and make you cry.

Title: The Pretty AppAuthor: Katie SisePublishing Date: April 14th, 2015Publisher: Balzer + BrayFormat: ARCRating: 2/5 starsSummary:Poor Blake Dawkins! She's rich, she's gorgeous, and she's the queen bee of Harrison High. The girls want to be her; the boys want to—okay, enough said. But it turns out Blake’s life is not so perfect—just talk to her dad, who constantly reminds her that she's not up to par, or to her ex-bff, Audrey, who doesn't even look her in the eye.

Then Harrison—and every other high school in America—becomes obsessed with posting selfies on the ubiquitous Pretty App. Next: Leo, an adorable transfer student, arrives at Harrison and begins to show Blake that maybe being a queen bee doesn't mean being a queen bitch. And though Audrey suspects somebody’s playing foul, Blake finds herself catapulted to internet fame after being voted one of the prettiest girls in the country. She's whisked away to star in a reality show—in Hollywood, on live TV. But she doesn’t know who to trust. Because everybody on the show wants to win.

And nobody is there to make friends.

The Boyfriend App author Katie Sise spins another irresistible tale of technology, secrets, and big-time romance in this story of what it takes to be #trulybeautiful.

I haven't read the first book but this works as a standalone anyway, so when I got an advanced copy, I thought why not?

This is one of those books that I found very easy to read and I breezed through in just around two hours. Honestly, there isn't really anything great about its storyline unless you're looking for a book just to pass the time. I didn't really have any expectations for this book, so I can't say I'm disappointed; if anything, I actually didn't care.

The Pretty App is about Blake Dawkins, a mean girl who wants to do a make-over of her life, and change for the better. The pretty app is a newly released app where teenagers all over America can post pictures of themselves, and people can rank them according to how pretty they are. Whoever gets ranked highest from each school, will get a chance to become part of a reality TV show / beauty pageant. Blake Dawkins finds herself to be part of this reality show, and here begins her life-changing journey that will eventually result in her realizing that looks aren't all that matter. There is some obvious message here how physical looks aren't everything and what matters is the beauty inside. I didn't like how in-your-face and obvious the message is shown. There is a lack of creativity plot wise, and I found the story to be somehow comical and a little bit too ridiculous.

The romance isn't all that good either and I found some parts to be predictable. I wasn't convinced with Blake's character development and I didn't get how easy it is for her to decide to suddenly become nice and I didn't like how she doesn't have to do any big sacrifices or lose anything - aside from throwing away the pageant. I felt like this story lacks any depth to it, and honestly I felt it too be a bit shallow and immature. I did enjoy reading it though and there are some parts I found funny, but some comical in away that it felt too weird (like the host cheating on stage - REALLY?? That happens???) If there's anything I liked about this book however, is that I admired how Blake has a real passion and dream, to become a TV reporter and I did sense her honesty in that. There are some sweet moments between her and Leo, but they don't exactly go beyond that.

I would recommend this to readers who are in for something fun and light to read, but for those who are looking for something more, then I suggest you skip this.

We decided to add this little recap of our week for you guys every Friday! Basically, we tell you about the important events in our lives this week, the blogposts and reviews we made, and any other thing that we deem significant. The goal of this is to let you know more about us and to let readers who have missed something from our blog be able to find it easily through links that we will be placing here. Enjoy!

Hey guys! Welcome to a new feature on our blog, Kimi's Potter Experience! I am currently enrolled in a Rowling Literature Elective (ELECLIT) this term, and this is where I will be chronicling my class experience on this blog every Thursday of the week.

Nikki Godwin, author of Chasing Forever Down and American Girl on Saturn among others, has a treat for you! In celebration of her newest contemporary M/M YA romance novel Breaking Saint Jude releasing this January 14, her LGBT YA novel Falling from the Sky is FREE this week across all retail sites! Yes, you read that right!

Read more about these two novels right here and don't forget to get both!

Title: Breaking Saint Jude

Author: Nikki Godwin

Date of Publication: January 14, 2015

Genre: contemporary LGBT YA romance

When sixteen-year-old Jude Calvert sets out to steal stained glass from a broken cathedral window, he finds more than shards of red. He finds Max Rangel - his eye candy from his new LGBT support group - hauling a giraffe carcass across an abandoned part of town with a pack of guys. And he still accepts Max's dinner invite a few days later.

Still, animal lover Jude can't get the giraffe out of his mind. It doesn't take long for him to confront Max, who gives him partial answers and introduces him to a secret brotherhood of not-so-typical game hunters. Unable to tell his mom (the savior of black cats everywhere) or his dad (the zoo's head veterinarian) and unwilling to go back to his overbearing therapist, Jude quickly finds himself sucked into the underground world of taxidermy, theft, and drug deals.

At first, he's willing to do anything for the brotherhood just because he's so thankful to belong to someone again after serious drama with his ex-clique and ex-boyfriend. But when his underground life collides with his life above, he realizes he may have bitten off more than even the biggest animal can chew.

Title: The Darkest Part of the ForestAuthor: Holly BlackPublishing Date: January 13, 2015Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young ReadersFormat: ARC
Summary:Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough

Down a path worn into the woods, past a stream and a hollowed-out log full of pill bugs and termites, was a glass of coffin. It rested right on the ground and in it slept a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives.

How can you not love a book with a beginning like that?

I have to admit; I'm always a bit skeptical with reading fantasy/paranormal books, mostly because only few books can actually pull it off without being overly cheesy and unoriginal. But when it comes to Holly Black, I'd gladly devour anything she spews out. The Darkest Part of the Forest is not an exception to that, and when I got an advanced copy, I almost clawed my eyes out in sheer excitement.

Hey guys! Go check out L.K. Hill's crime series! Book 2 is coming out pretty soon and it has a pretty cover- go check it out below!

Dark Remnants (Street Games #1)

In the most dangerous city in the country, one controlled by a sadistic gang called the Sons of Ares, Kyra Roberts is searching the deep places for someone…

Kyra has come to Abstreuse city to find someone she’s lost, but walking the underbelly—a dark alley system residents call the Slip Mire—even in disguise, is rife with dangers. Kyra must stay on her toes if she intends to live. After crossing paths several times with the same detective, she wonders if his work and hers might be connected.

Gabe Nichols has worked homicide in Abstreuse for three years. Dead prostitutes and gang violence are part of the night shift. When a woman who looks like a street junkie but acts like an intellectual saves his life, he’s intrigued. Another woman shows up at his crime scene, and Gabe’s instincts kick into high gear when she clams up. Two cases involving strange women who won’t tell what they know are too coincidental.

If Gabe and Kyra can’t find a way to collaborate, they may not live to see the sunrise. Doomed, like so many others, to become gray, unmarked graves in a forgotten fracture of the Slip Mire.

Desolate Mantle (Street Games #2)

In the most dangerous city in the country, one controlled by the sadistic Sons of Ares gang, Kyra Roberts recently crossed paths with detective Gabe Nichols. She dismissed any liaison with him as impossible, but telling him the truth may prove inevitable…

Walking the Slip Mire nightly, dressed in her disguise and trying to infiltrate a homicidal gang, Kyra sees plenty of things she can’t explain. When she begins to suspect a serial killer might be at work, she decides to approach Gabe again.

Gabe has plenty to keep him busy: a bizarre missing persons case, a new development in his brother’s cold case, a new neighbor, and the grisly murders that are a nightly ritual in the Slip Mire. When Kyra shows up unexpectedly, he jumps at the chance keep her around, but it’s harder than he bargained for. She’s not an average source any more than she’s an average Mireling. Gabe wishes she would be sensible about her own safety.

Their partnership crumbles, but when things become even darker than usual in the Slip Mire, they’ll need one another get survive a hellish situation. If they can’t work together to shoulder their burdens, they’ll find themselves utterly alone. In Abstreuse, it’s not a matter of not coming out of the darkness, but of being absorbed by the darkness itself…

Danny Goldstein has always lived in the shadow of his identical, twin brother Sam. But when a hurricane of events forces him into the spotlight, he starts to realize that the only thing he’s truly afraid of is himself. With the help of his costume changing friend Cher, a famous gay uncle with a mysterious past of his own, two aging punk rocker parents and Rusty, the boy who will become his something to live for, Danny begins to realize that the music of the heart is truly the soundtrack for living.

I started reading this book and I was so stoked for it. I was expecting something cool. That is because it's quite difficult to write a book revolving around gay people that's not offensive, not too opinionated and is handled well. I like reading lgbt books because there aren't much of it in the world.

When I reached about 30% of the book, you can ask my sister how much I was having the gay feels. Rusty and Danny were really cute!

But, there was a twist of mindset when I was somewhere in the middle of the story. I got a bit bored. I still read it, but not like I still had the feels. Majority of the content of the book was how Rusty and Danny spent one whole week together so happy and full of butterflies. They literally just met, and they already knew that they liked each other and after again a few days, they loved each other. I'm not a fan of immediate relationships. I don't believe in those, even though both characters believed that time cannot measure love.

I was kind of dissapointed because their relationship could have been more on getting to know each other first before anything. Another thing was that I was already expecting what was going to happen, in almost all parts of the book. There was nothing spectacular about the ending as well, but it's a great way to end the book. I was happy that it ended that way.

The beginning and ending was great, and the way Danny thinks was a bit relatable too. I just think that it could've been more exciting, and less boring in the middle. Nonetheless, I did not regret reading this book. I was still glad that I read it. This book is worth checking out if you want to read something light and cute.